Olivia Gadecki and Talia Gibson already have Australian Open wildcards in their back pocket and the two Aussie young guns have now set their sights on charging through the Hobart International field.
The pair were also awarded wildcards into the tournament’s main draw which commences Monday, January 9, eager to make the most of the opportunity on their first visit to Hobart.
Talia Gibson, Female Junior Athlete of the Year at last December’s Australian Tennis Awards, will be on Centre Court at the Hobart International Monday 9 January, 2023
Gibson, who was named the Female Junior Athlete of the Year at last December’s Australian Tennis Awards, began 2022 well outside the top 1000 but soared to a high mark of world No. 342 on the back of a hugely successful campaign on the ITF circuit.
The 18-year-old won more than 50 matches for the calendar year, including three successive tournament victories in California and twice in Caloundra.
She also got a brief taste of Grand Slam life in qualifying at Melbourne Park last January, taking the first set off Arianne Hartono (NED) before going down 6-4, 4-6, 1-6. While disappointed at the result, the invaluable experience set her up for a breakout 12 months.
“It was such an amazing feeling to find out that I had been given a wildcard to such an amazing event,” Gibson said ahead of making her WTA main draw debut against Germany’s Tatjana Maria.
“Apart from the Australian Open last year, it’s my second WTA event. That was such a great experience and I learned so much from it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get through the first round, went down in three sets but yeah, it was a really great opportunity.
“It was a great start for me getting the feel of the pro tour and what the level’s like and I think I’ve made quite a lot of developments in my game throughout last year. That really helped me progress through the rankings a lot.”
Gadecki, 20, was another Australian youngster who made some impressive gains on the ITF circuit in 2022.
She reached three successive finals on the Australian Pro Tour early in the year, and in June won through two rounds of qualifying at the WTA event in S’hertogenbosch to feature in her maiden WTA main draw.
“It’s such a great opportunity to get a wildcard here and play some of the best players in the world and Hobart is absolutely stunning,” said Gadecki, who meets lucky-loser Xinyu Wang in the opening round.
“I’m feeling really excited and keen to get out there and just play, enjoy it, to just implement everything that I’ve been working on in training.
“I’d love to get inside the top 100 by the end of the year, but I’m just going to focus on the process and all the one percenters that make up that.
“It’s pretty big, to be top 100 then you’re in every slam. It’s awesome that we get wildcard opportunities but to get in off your own ranking, it means something else.”
Tickets for the Hobart International are on sale via Ticketmaster.
Prices start from $25 for adults and general admission is free* for children with a paying adult during the entire event, including finals.